5 mins with Helen Longfils- Group Director of Social Value, Mitie
5 mins with Helen Longfils
What does social value strategy mean at Mitie?
“At Mitie, social value is very much embedded within our broader ESG governance. It’s not a bolt-on. It’s part of the core strategy of the business.”
Helen explains that her role spans both the commercial side of social value, bidding and delivery and the people and community side, including volunteering, inclusive hiring, and community programmes. “In effect, it’s hundreds of people that contribute to social value delivery. It’s everybody’s job.”
Why did Mitie move away from traditional CSR and pillar-based models?
“We all know there’s lots of demand drivers around social value - client requirements, workforce expectations, ethical consumerism, wider social expectations of business.”
Helen says Mitie wanted to move beyond “simply doing charitable activities and volunteering,” which she stresses “are great things, by the way, but they’re not enough on their own.” Instead, the organisation wanted “a more coherent framework that drives measurable and meaningful change in our communities.”
Why is ‘thriving’ such an important concept in the strategy?
“Thrive means to flourish, succeed, or prosper. It’s about looking to the future, about progress and journeys.”
Helen explains that the idea of thriving came directly from Mitie’s purpose of creating “better places and thriving communities,” and shaped the foundation of Plan Thrive. “We really carefully chose words like uplifting and prosper - uplifting is about social mobility, health, wellbeing, inclusion, and prosperity is about economic growth and community investment.”
Why are jobs and employment so central to Plan Thrive?
“Good jobs change lives. They provide financial stability not just for individuals, but for families and communities as well.”
With around 80,000 colleagues across the UK, Helen says Mitie has both the responsibility and the opportunity to act. “We literally look after the places where Britain works, learns, travels, and plays - so creating inclusive employment pathways just makes sense for our operating model.”
How does Plan Thrive work in practice?
“We start with understanding the local picture - what’s going on in that community, who’s most disadvantaged, and where we can make the biggest difference.”
Helen outlines Plan Thrive’s five-step approach, from place-based insight, to employability support, inclusive recruitment, additional support for people facing complex barriers, and finally long-term progression and wellbeing once people are in work. “It’s about creating sustainable employment pathways.”
How does Mitie support people facing additional barriers to work?
“There are some groups who need extra support to get into work and to stay in work.”
Helen highlights Mitie’s Ready to Work programmes, delivered through the Mitie Foundation, including support for care leavers, prison leavers, and people experiencing homelessness. “That support includes wellbeing, training, and community connections - delivered in partnership.”
How is social value embedded across such a large organisation?
“The fact that social value sits in HR, under ESG governance, really underlines that it’s integrated into the core strategy of the business.”
Helen says board and executive sponsorship is critical. “Delivering social value well helps us win and retain business and that creates a virtuous cycle where doing good also makes good business sense.”
What advice would Helen give to organisations developing a social value strategy?
“Start with your purpose - not with the activities.”
Helen encourages organisations to define the change they want to see, identify the biggest lever they can pull, use data and local insight, and build strong partnerships. “You can’t do this alone. Collaboration amplifies impact.”
How can people get in touch with Helen?
“People are very welcome to reach out to me on LinkedIn - I’m always happy to talk to others developing social value strategies.” 🔗 LinkedIn – Helen Longfils
🎙️Check out the related Podcast Episode:
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Explore how Mitie is reshaping social value strategy beyond CSR. Helen Longfils discusses Plan Thrive, theory of change, inclusive employment, and delivering measurable social value at scale.